NCI Cereal Innovators Webinar Series | Neil Doty
Neil Doty Ph. D., NCI Business Development Manager
Each month, NCI updates the “Cereal Innovators” series that offers insight into the world of baking and cereal grains. This month’s webinar participants learned about “Food Industry Trends that Impact Cereal Grain Opportunities.” This presentation featured Dr. Neil Doty, Business Development Manager at the Northern Crops Institute.
During this hour-long presentation, participants were treated to several exciting trends within the cereal grain industry. Before picking up any of these trends, there are four areas to consider. The main area that has been at the forefront of these trends is health and nutrition. Many individuals want to know more about the health benefits of the foods they are eating. The health aspects have a lot to do with the pandemic, which helped to accelerate cereal grain trends. It has given participants a new focus on food nutrition.
The environmental trends have also played an essential role in supporting the cereal grain industry. Cereal grains are an opportunity to engage in regenerative sustainability. Regenerative practices remove carbon from the atmosphere and put it back into the soil. Another environmental trend is integrating livestock management that can improve soil and land. Using cereal grains will help put life back into the soil.
The cultural trends that cereal grains have played a part in have also been very important. The use of upcycled foods is a new trendy aspect in the industry. Consumers are looking for clean, healthy products that leave little waste. Companies have started to make food waste or low-value material and turn it into high valued products. Brewing companies have begun to use spent grain from their brewing process and use it to make a high-protein beverage. Dr. Doty commented on this trend, “This is pretty genius to take cereal grain waste products and put them into high-value food and beverage products.”
Throughout the webinar, Dr. Doty provided great insight into the many different trends in using cereal grains. He also noted that there are an infinite number of possibilities for using cereal grains in products. Cereal grains offer so many additional benefits that consumers look for in their everyday lives. This is still a rapidly growing industry that is booming with opportunities.
The Northern Crops Institute greatly appreciates Dr. Neil Doty’s professional input and involvement in our webinar series. At NCI, we continue to fulfill our mission to support regional agriculture and value-added processing by conducting educational and technical programs that expand and maintain domestic and international markets for northern grown crops.
For more information about future webinars offered at NCI, click here.
To view today’s webinar, click the recording below!